


Callisto - A Biography

by daviderl



Series: Xena: Warrior Princess [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-14 04:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2178336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daviderl/pseuds/daviderl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Biography of what we know about Callisto's life; what we don't know; and what we  can only speculate on.</p><p>Everything we know about Callisto comes from Gabrielle's scrolls (Xena's companion, also know as the Battling Bard of Poteidaia).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Missing Years

**Callisto -- A Biography**

**Chapter One**

**The Missing Years**

**aka**

**What We Don’t Know**

_There is no written record of the birth and early childhood years of the legendary warrior known only as Callisto. And while it  is known that she lived in the moderately prosperous town of Cirra, its location is a mystery. There is speculation that after Xena and her invading army all but destroyed it and killed most of its inhabitants, the few remaining survivors abandoned Cirra and relocated to the nearest village, or villages._

_What **is** known is that her father’s name was Panko. But whether he was a farmer or merchant or craftsman is open to idle speculation. Her mother’s name was Arleia, and as was the norm for the times, she was a wife, mother and homemaker. Callisto’s sister’s name is not known. Also unknown is if the sister was older or younger than Callisto._

_From the few stories and tales about the day Xena and her army came to Cirra, Callisto was approximately ten to twelve years old **:**_

“Callisto, will you and your sister go to the well and bring back three buckets of water? I don’t think there will be enough when your father comes home for lunch. You know he likes to wash up first. And I suspect you two could also do with a good scrubbing.”

Callisto ran to catch up with her sister, always the more responsible one. Together they walked through the bustling marketplace to the community well located in the center of town, with Callisto dawdling as usual, wanting to see everything there was to see.

“Will you come ON?” Callisto was chided several times. “By the time we get there the line will be so _long!_ ”

And as promised when the two arrived there were more than a dozen women and children ahead of them, all drawing water for the midday meal. Which suited Callisto just fine, it gave her more time to look at, and to examine, all the wares offered at the many stalls of the marketplace. When their time came, once again Callisto’s sister yelled for her. Together they filled their three buckets, and when they left Callisto carried one bucket and her sister carried two.

And still Callisto dawdled, complaining how heavy her bucket was. And she was left behind. And so she moved even slower. At one stall she offered to trade the water for a scarf. The woman just laughed at her.

But before she could tell her to move along, there were sounds of panic and danger – an army of mercenaries was invading the village! The pounding of horses at a full gallop was suddenly heard throughout the town. And then screams of pain and death filled the air. Callisto dropped her bucket and tried running for home. But her way was blocked by the so many horses carrying warriors with swords.

No! Not warriors, but thugs, outlaws, ex-prisoners. All who were laughing as they were striking down anyone in range of their weapons – men, women, children. It didn’t seem to matter who was murdered.

Stalls were torched – home-weaved baskets, or cloth, or dried meats, or leather goods; all were all set afire. But the wind carried the flames to other stalls, and to the wooden buildings. And before anyone could find a safe exit from the village, fire was coursing through Cirra like a flood – nothing could stop it, and nothing could stand in its way.

Callisto, knowing shortcuts and side roads, made it to her home at the same time as the flames reached her house. But the incredible heat kept her from entering the thatched-roof house she called home. Unable to save her family, she could only stand and watch in horror as the monstrous blaze devoured everything. And through the sounds of the roaring conflagration she could hear the screams of her father, her mother, and her sister as they were consumed by the wall of fire that somehow passed her by unscathed.

How long Callisto stood staring at the charred ruins of her home she had no idea; time had no meaning for her. Vaguely she heard noises – hoof beats, men talking, laughing, yelling to each other. But they were only background noises, nothing that concerned her.

Then a new sound impinged on her consciousness. A woman’s voice, but not one she recognized. And as if she has no will of her own, she followed the sound until she came upon a group of horsemen, and a warrior woman.

Something told her she should stay out of sight, so she hid behind the burned wall of what was left of a building. The woman was berating and cursing and verbally hammering them all into submission. As Callisto’s watched and listened she realized this woman was their leader. SHE was responsible for the death and destruction of Cirra!

“What in Tartarus is wrong with all of you!” she screamed at them. “Are you all so stupid? How are we supposed to renew our supplies if everything is burned to the ground?”

No one dared answer. None dared meet her eyes.

“And if that isn’t bad enough,” she continued. “How many times have I told you we DO NOT kill women and children? How many times?”

“We had no idea the fire would spread like that,” one weak voice answered. “We were only having fun.”

“Great!” she said, her anger still not quenched. “So we have no food, no supplies, and no one to torture into telling us if there is any hidden away!”

Turning her horse, she yelled over her shoulder as she rode off, “Let’s go. There’s nothing left for us. Nothing at all!”

As she watched the horde ride away, Callisto said softly, “Not yet. But someday. Someday you will discover there is something you will regret leaving - alive. **Me**!”

**~ ~ ~**

And from here we have no idea of what became of Callisto until ten to maybe fifteen years later when she started her assault on Xena, also known as the Warrior Princess. But we can make educated guesses about Callisto’s life during those years.

As previously stated, after Cirra was almost completely destroyed, the few remaining people abandoned their burned-out village and most likely traveled to the nearest town, taking Callisto with them.

(It is almost a one hundred percent certainty that Callisto would not have survived had she remained in Cirra, or tried to travel on her own.)

It is very likely that Callisto may have had relatives there if this town was where her father, Panko, met his future wife, Arleia. It is doubtful that he would have found a wife farther away than the nearest village. So Callisto could have had aunts, uncles and cousins who may have taken her in.

Of course, as was the custom of the time, by her fourteenth or fifteenth birthday, Callisto’s relatives may have tried to marry her off to someone of means who was willing to pay a handsome dowry for an attractive young woman. So there can be an argument made for her running away from home, not wanting to be tied down, a virtual prisoner, and unable to fulfill her vow to make Xena pay for her crimes against Cirra.

How she was able to raise an army at such a young age is anyone’s guess. However there is one other name that seems to be connected with Callisto – Theodorus. But whether he was a childhood friend, a lover, or just a loyal companion cannot be known. Perhaps she saved his life and he swore to always be by her side. Perhaps, even, he was instrumental in her being able to assemble an army that would follow her – a female. However, from all indications, his role in Callisto’s life seems to be that as only an underling, maybe her second in command, or possibly an advisor.


	2. The Documented Years

**Chapter Two**

**The Documented Years**  
aka  
What We Do Know

Before we go into those parts of Callisto’s life we do know about (mainly from the first-person accounts penned by Xena’s companion, Gabrielle), we should clarify exactly what we mean when referring to Callisto’s (and Xena’s) “army.”

When speaking of the armies of ancient times, such as those of the city states of Athens or Sparta, or of the Roman legions, and even the Barbarian hordes from the east, we are referring to soldiers numbering in the thousands, with the accompanying support wagons and personnel, such as those providing food, water, additional weaponry, and medical assistance. And if there was a cavalry -- the farriers, the saddle and bridle craftsmen, and those wagons with hay and oats for the horses. With such support, the total number (including slaves) could easily increase by fifty to seventy-five percent, if not more.

So it is very unlikely that the so-called “armies” of these two female warriors ever numbered more than twenty to thirty men. And it would be up to the individuals to provide their own weapons, horses, saddles, etc. Of course there would be a temporary camp from which to base their attacks, and to return to afterward. It is a certainty there were those who remained behind (the wounded or less capable fighters) to guard the campsite and to provide the meals.

The taking of prisoners would not be part of their strategy since it unquestionably would put a drain on their limited resources. And unless there was a ready market for slaves, even they would not be taken.

Also, if either warrior had enough men considered to be called a true army, there would be descriptions of them in other Greek, and possibly Roman, writings from those times.

(Many have wondered why Callisto’s warrior skills were so similar to Xena’s – even wearing her sword and scabbard on her back as Xena did. The obvious answer is that she must have secretly followed Xena for years, studying her battle tactics and copying her fighting styles until she felt she was Xena’s superior before she made her move.)  


As for Callisto’s attack on Xena, the first one seems to be when she managed to shoot Xena with a poisoned dart while Xena and Gabrielle were in yet another of those so many nameless villages dotting the Grecian countryside. The dart was coated tolmic poison, which works its way up from the feet to the heart, paralyzing the muscles as it does so. It didn’t kill Xena, but she was so incapacitated, Gabrielle thought she had died. Fortunately, Xena made a complete recovery. However, at this time the person responsible, Callisto, was still unknown to them.

Their next encounter occurred when Xena arrived at a village that Callisto and her men were attacking. They had a brief confrontation before Callisto rode off. Xena, by interrogating one of Callisto’s men, possibly the above mentioned Theodorus, found out that Callisto intended to kill the Oracle of Delphi during a sacrifice to Apollo the very next day.

Xena stopped the attempted assassination, chased after Callisto and captured her. She took her to the nearest jail, but an angry mob stormed it, setting it on fire, allowing to Callisto escape when Xena tried to keep her from being killed from the fire (yes, there is irony there). Xena caught up to her again, recaptured her, and this time Callisto went to prison for an undetermined period of incarceration.

The next time Callisto and Xena meet is after Callisto’s daring escape from prison. And once again, Theordorus is at Callisto’s side, and she again has an army. Gabrielle and her childhood sweetheart marry with Xena as a witness. Afterward, Xena leaves them to their lives as husband and wife. However, the next morning Callisto finds the newlywed couple and confronts them. Xena returns in time to keep Gabrielle from being murdered, but as she makes her escape Callisto stabs and kills Gabrielle’s new husband.

Xena goes after Callisto, both on horseback. After a hard ride, Xena catches up with her, and they both end up rolling down a hill into quicksand. Xena manages to pull herself free, but Callisto was unable to, and she dies.

(There has been speculation that Xena deliberately let Callisto die when she could have saved her. But there is no concrete evidence to either prove or disprove this theory.)

And this is the end of Callisto’s story.

Or so you would think; but there is more.

As stated above, everything we know about Callisto comes from the many scrolls written by Xena’s companion (and as many have suggested, her lover), Gabrielle. As the years went by, she wrote fewer of them, but the ones we have recovered from the later times occasionally mentioned Callisto, but in these she has become immortal, even to the point of becoming a goddess, and more.

And while such stories surely fall into the realm of fantasy, in order to present a more complete picture of this blonde warrior, we will touch on just some of these tales in the next section.

_(It is not in the scope of this essay to question, or to speculate on, Gabrielle’s reasoning for writing such narratives.)_


	3. Gabrielle’s Extraordinary Stories

**Chapter Three**

**Gabrielle’s Extraordinary Stories**   
**aka**   
**From Evil Goddess to Demon to Redeemed Angel**   


The first mention of Callisto in Gabrielle’s scrolls after her death is when she is in the Greek underworld of Tartarus. Ares, the god of war, allowed her to invade Xena's dreams and managed to have her switch bodies with Xena, so that she was free and Xena was trapped in Tartarus. But Xena persuaded Hades to let her return to Earth still in Callisto's body. Xena defeated Callisto and sent her back to Tartarus, but she was still trapped in Callisto’s body.

Here, things get confusing. According to Gabrielle, Ares lost his godhood when he either lost his sword or it was stolen from him (but losing his godhood in this manner is not found in any of the myths surrounding Ares). Xena, still in Callisto’s body, managed to recover it for him, he became a god again, and switched them back to their correct bodies, so Callisto, body and soul, was in Tartarus again.

The next time we hear of Callisto, she somehow escapes from Tartarus and has become immortal (unable to be killed). An Amazon warrior named Velasca has eaten Ambrosia, the food of the gods, and becomes a goddess. Xena tells Callisto that if she will help her defeat Velasca, she will allow her a chance at the Ambrosia to become a full goddess. Callisto accepts.

She and Velasca begin fighting on a rope bridge over a river of lava. Callisto gets the Ambrosia, eats it, and becomes a goddess. But Xena cuts the ropes and both Callisto and Velasca plunge into the lava where they were trapped for eternity. Or so Gabrielle wrote.

However, Callisto is later freed from the lava by Gabrielle's daughter Hope, the messenger and daughter of the evil god Dahak. Callisto helps Hope kill Xena's son Solan, and Xena and Gabrielle's friendship is temporarily torn apart. Later, Xena manages to trick Callisto into entering into a cave, and traps her there by causing a cave-in which buries her.

But _again_ Callisto escapes from being buried for eternity, but just how isn’t mentioned in any of Gabrielle’s scrolls. 

This time Callisto, tired of being an immortal goddess and bored with life, offers to help Xena defeat the evil Hope if she, Xena, will kill her, Callisto, using the Hind’s Blood Dagger, the only thing that can kill a god; or a goddess, in Callisto’s case. Xena agrees since Hope wants to bring  Dahak into this world.

Xena tries, but it is Gabrielle who sacrifices herself to destroy Hope when they both fall into a lava pit. Callisto then changes her mind and happily exclaims that with the death of Gabrielle, and with Xena’s unbearable pain, she now has a reason for living. However, Xena immediately stabs Callisto with the Hind's Blood Dagger.

But somehow, Callisto escapes eternal death **_one more time!_**  (There is nothing in Gabrielle’s scrolls describing how this happened.) This time Callisto shows up just as Xena is about to kill her hated enemy, Caesar. She distracts Xena and Caesar wasn’t assassinated.

Xena then tries to kill Callisto, but not being mortal she can’t be killed. She tells Xena she went to a place worse than Tartarus – Hell. And whoever is in charge of Hell is interested in Caesar and doesn’t want Xena to interfere in his coronation as Emperor of Rome.

Xena had been having visions of her and Gabrielle's death, and Callisto told her their deaths could be avoided if Xena would agree to lay down her sword and walk the path of peace. Realizing that Callisto is lying, and this is just a ploy to keep her away from Caesar, Xena set out to rescue Gabrielle from Roman soldiers.

Xena was almost successful, but in a blind rage when she realizes that her mission has been a failure, Callisto breaks Xena's spine with Xena's own Chakram. Callisto is returned to Hell, but Xena and Gabrielle are crucified, and they die as Xena saw in her visions.

Angels first take Gabrielle and then other angels take Xena and head up to heaven. Black specks rise up from below, and the angels are upset about the approaching demons. The demons make the angels drop Gabrielle and she wakes up in hell, with an evil demon Callisto beside her.

Xena walks through the fire of purification and then she plunges into the water of purification for final cleansing. She emerges as Xena the archangel, in armor and dark wings.

The archangels fly down to hell to rescue Gabrielle. Xena and Callisto fight. Callisto tells Xena she'll hate Xena forever because of what she did to her family and what she turned her into. But Xena has too much compassion and gives Callisto her light, purifying Callisto, turning her into an angel.

In heaven Gabrielle meets Callisto. Gabrielle tells Callisto that she shouldn't be in heaven; she murdered Gabrielle's husband and many innocent people. Callisto says she doesn't remember any of that. Michael tells Gabrielle that Xena chose to suffer in Callisto's place. Gabrielle says Callisto is evil to the core and always will be. But eventually Gabrielle forgives Callisto.

The demons of hell, now led by demon Xena, fly up to attack the archangels in an attempt to take over Paradise. Xena and Gabrielle fight. Xena picks up Archangel Gabrielle and is ready to jump down to hell. But suddenly they both wake up in their bodies, they have been reincarnated.

Angel Callisto touches Xena belly, impregnating her with part of her spirit. And the redeemed Callisto is now allowed to join her family.

And **this** is where Callisto’s story finally ends; she is not mentioned again in any more of Gabrielle’s scrolls that we have access to.  


_(There have been unsubstantiated accounts that Callisto may also have had several encounters with Hercules, However nothing as “concrete” as Gabrielle’s scrolls have been found to corroborate such allegations.)_


	4. A Few Final Thoughts

**Chapter Four**

**A Few Final Thoughts**  
aka  
Wrapping Things Up

On the face of it, it would be so easy to simply write off Callisto as just another psychotic, murdering “warlord” bent on revenge against Xena, and forever condemned for the slaughter of so many men, women and children as she and her “army” – her band of thugs, criminals and murderers, crisscrossed the countryside in her quest for vengeance against Xena, with no thoughts of mercy for those who were butchered, and with no hint forgiveness in her heart for Xena. And it would be so easy to steadfastly believe in her single-minded resolution to find, and ultimately destroy, the one who was responsible for Cirra’s destruction.

But it can be argued there is another side to Callisto – a young girl who became unbalanced through no fault of her own after witnessing the fiery deaths of her beloved parents and sister, the brutal massacre of her friends and neighbors, and the total destruction of her home and her village. Who knows what kind of woman she could have become if she had had a normal life – growing into womanhood, finding love, marrying, and raising her own family?

This is not to suggest Callisto was justified in her pursuit of retribution, her vendetta, or that it excuses the death and destruction she rained down on all those in her path. Far from it. But she surely could have found a way to seek her revenge against Xena without the needless murder of so many innocents, and the destruction of so many towns and villages.

As previously suggested, Callisto followed Xena for years, studying her methods of combat and her techniques of fighting until she felt she was able to confront and to kill Xena on her, Callisto’s, own terms, on her own field of battle.

But it has been determined that when Xena and Gabrielle began their journeys together, Callisto’s focus changed. Rather than just assassinate the woman responsible for her family’s death, she changed her tactics. Instead of simply wanting to kill Xena, probably in the most painful way possible, she repurposed her mission in life to destroy the one thing, the one person Xena loved above all others – Gabrielle. And she wanted Xena to witness Gabrielle’s death before killing her. And in this undertaking, she somewhat succeeded on both fronts when Xena and Gabrielle were crucified on Roman crosses.

Unfortunately, more of Callisto’s story can never be known until other references to her are discovered in scrolls or tablets, perhaps hidden in caves (as were the Dead Sea Scrolls), or lost in archival records buried in the ruins of long-forgotten temples.

c

While poring over Gabrielle’s scrolls, it became obvious that her writings followed the change in religious beliefs of the time. In the beginning she wrote about the Greek gods – Zeus, Ares, Hades and Aphrodite, to name but a few (in reference to Callisto, only Ares and Hades were mentioned).

But in time she began to describe the persons and events associated with the newly formed one-god doctrines taking hold throughout the Mideast. For example, Eli – a healer and prophet; and her and Xena’s crucifixion and ascension to become (Christian) angels (as did Callisto).

Religious scholars are still debating, both for and against, Gabrielle’s writings on this subject.

Some feel it denigrates and insults their religious beliefs when the sinful and murderous Xena and Callisto are taken up to heaven. They claim that Xena’s few years of “doing good deeds” could never make up for the years of death and destruction she (and Callisto) visited upon the helpless victims they slaughtered. And they feel that Callisto’s “purification” by Xena is an affront to the teachings of the Christian bible, particularly the New Testament.

Then there is the counter argument that their ascension to heaven and becoming angels perfectly exemplifies the forgiveness of the Christian god.

However, both sides are uncomfortable with the idea of Xena and Gabrielle being reincarnated into their original bodies. As well as the “immaculate conception” of Xena’s daughter, Eve, by the redeemed Callisto.

And finally, there is the story of the eternal struggle of good (angels and archangels) versus evil (the demons of hell), mirrored in Xena’s quest for personal redemption for her past deeds. That is, constantly fighting her dark side (a reflection of her murderous past) versus her desire to make amends for her violent and bloody history.

c

And one last thought – a speculation of my own. According to Gabrielle, she and Aphrodite were more or less friends, depending on the particular scroll. And I was thinking, since they were friends, what would have happened if Gabrielle had asked the Goddess of Love to do her magic on Callisto, and replace the hatred in her heart with love for Xena, and for mankind in general?

How would Callisto’s story have changed? And not only hers, but Xena’s as well?

 

**The End**


End file.
